Angela Frase, Sterling woman who faked hate crime arson, sentenced for insurance fraud scheme
CLEVELAND (WJW) — A woman who set fire to her Wayne County home and spray-painted hate speech on her garage as part of an insurance fraud scheme has been sentenced to prison.
Angela Frase, 60, of Sterling, pleaded guilty to four counts of mail fraud for accepting insurance checks on claims she had falsified, according to a Wednesday news release from Carol Skutnik, acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.
I-TEAM: Accident damages plane at Hopkins Airport
Frase was sentenced Tuesday, Feb. 18, to two years in prison and ordered to pay $327,072 in restitution. She was also recommended for a residential drug treatment program at a West Virginia federal prison. She'll also face three years of supervision upon her release.
Frase on July 2, 2019, and July 3, 2019, called in two separate fires at her home along Spruce Street in Sterling. Her insurance company housed her and her husband at an extended-stay hotel, according to prosecutors.
The cause of the fire was undetermined, and experts hired by the insurance company later ruled out electrical failure.
Firefighters were called to the home again for a reported natural gas leak on Aug. 6, 2019. Home remodelers who entered the home to begin contracted work fled 'due to the strong smell of natural gas,' according to prosecutors.
'The fire marshal later determined that the stove was turned on, filling the residence with explosive-causing levels of natural gas,' reads the release. 'Frase and her husband were the last people in the home prior to the discovery of gas and claimed to have locked the doors. There was no sign of forced entry.'
That night, Frase left her hotel and started a fire at her home, according to prosecutors. Location data from her cell phone showed she was at the scene from about 11 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., then she returned to her hotel room.
Then, just after 12:30 a.m. the following morning, Sterling firefighters and Wayne County sheriff's deputies responded to an explosion at the home. The fire marshal determined the fire was intentionally set.
Frase had spray-painted the N-word and what appeared to be a swastika on her garage and also vandalized her neighbor's vehicle, according to her federal criminal complaint.
'Disbelief that there's still this much hatred in America,' Frase told FOX 8 News following the incident. 'We've been here 23 years, and we've never had a problem and now this. We decided whatever happens, we're not rebuilding here. We're not coming back. We're done.'
Frase returned again the morning of Aug. 11, 2019, and again spray-painted hate speech on her garage, according to prosecutors. She later told a responding sheriff's deputy that she saw 'two suspicious individuals' running through the field behind her home.
Days later, she told authorities she found a stuffed doll that had been painted black, with a noose around its neck, in her mailbox. More than a week after that, she claimed she received a suspicious envelope with a racial slur written on it and a bag of unknown white powder inside.
Police say suspects left important evidence at East Cleveland murder scene: I-Team
Frase's insurance company between November 2019 and June 2020 mailed her four checks totaling $327,072 for damages and losses, which she cashed.
Frase was charged in federal court in September 2024. Court records show she took a plea deal in November, but that document remains sealed.
She's expected to surrender to U.S. Marshals no later than noon on April 30 to begin her sentence, court records show.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
a day ago
- The Hill
Hogg's political group backs Gen Z influencer for open Arizona House seat
Leaders We Deserve, a political group founded by David Hogg and Kevin Lata, announced on Wednesday that it would be supporting Gen Z influencer Deja Foxx, who's running to succeed the late Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.). A special election to fill the remainder of his term is set for September, with a primary on July 15. 'Deja Foxx has been holding Republicans' and career politicians' feet to the fire since she was 15 years old. She's an organizer who has carved her own path after experiencing homelessness and working at a gas station — and she is ready to fight for Tuscon, her hometown,' Hogg said in a statement. Hogg noted, too, that she 'stood up to Arizona's former Republican Senator Jeff Flake' – referring to an exchange she had with Flake when she was 16 years old that later went viral in which she pressed him on reproductive care access. 'Deja knows people like her haven't been seen in politics, and she has translated her story to represent a new vision of generational change that speaks truth to Trump's cruel policies,' he added. Foxx, in her own statement, said she was 'excited' to work with the group as she faces a crowded primary field for the Democratic nod for Arizona's 7th Congressional District. 'I'm proud to be in this fight with Leaders We Deserve, an organization that understands the power of young people to transform politics and fight for communities that have been left out,' she said. Foxx is running to finish out the remainder of Grijalva's term in the House; Grijalva died in March at the age of 77 over complications of his cancer treatments. The late lawmaker's daughter, former Pima County Supervisor Adelita Grijalva, is also running in the Democratic primary, in addition to businessman Patrick Harris Sr.; former state Rep. Daniel Hernandez, who helped save former Rep. Gabby Giffords's (D-Ariz.) life after the 2011 Tucson-area shooting; and doctoral student José Malvido Jr. Former Pima County Supervisor Adelita Grijalva has enjoyed endorsements from top Democrats in the Grand Canyon State and beyond, including Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, Vermont progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). Hernandez has received endorsements from a mix of former and current Arizona legislators, the Teamsters and several U.S. House members, among others. The special election to fill the seat will be Sept. 23; given the district's reliably blue leanings, whoever wins the July primary will be the heavy favorite to win in the fall.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Missing Euclid teen found
Editor's Note: Police say this missing teen has been found. EUCLID, Ohio (WJW) – A 14-year-old boy who has autism ran away from his Euclid home and was last seen running toward Cleveland on Interstate 90 on Sunday. According to a Facebook post from the Euclid Police Department, 14-year-old Henry Banks was wearing a red t-shirt, gray shorts, a backpack and yellow Crocs when he ran from his home. Anyone who sees Henry or has any information is asked to call the Euclid PD at 216-731-1234. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Local health care workers charged with Medicaid fraud
[Watch in the player above: What's the difference between Medicare and Medicaid?] COLUMBUS, Ohio (WJW) — Thirteen Ohio health care providers are now charged with felonies for allegedly defrauding Medicaid, billing the federal government a combined more than $180,000 for services they did not provide, according to authorities. The alleged fraud was investigated by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in Attorney General Dave Yost's office, according to a Monday news release. 'Billing for made-up services checks every box for fraud, waste and abuse,' Yost is quoted in the release. 'Medicaid fraud steals from the vulnerable and from the taxpayers who fund the program — and we don't tolerate that in Ohio.' Accused serial shoplifter arrested in local Kohl's parking lot; linked to $51K in stolen merchandise Among those indicted are 12 home health aides and one behavioral health specialist, according to the release. Ten of the providers are in Northeast Ohio: Donna Deaver, 63, of Cleveland, is accused of billing for services performed while the recipient was in Jamaica on a six-month vacation, according to the release. She allegedly used the names of two family members, who were also Medicaid providers, 'telling them the extra income came from a pandemic incentive program,' reads the release. It was a $64,316 loss for Medicaid. Natosha Hall, 32, of Cleveland, is accused of seeking reimbursement for services she allegedly performed while on a trip to Barbados. The loss totaled $1,037. Rachelle Monday, 29, of Cleveland, is accused of falsifying time sheets while working at Warm Living Health Care in Parma. At the time she claimed to be working, she was actually working another job as a parking lot attendant, according to Yost's office. The loss totaled $16,041. Gerald Patterson, 57, of Akron, is accused of falsifying time sheets while working at Enterprise Health Services in Akron, billing for services performed while he was working a second job and traveling out of state, according to Yost's office. The loss totaled $6,184. Tara Patterson, 46, of Akron, admitted to billing multiple times for services she did not provide while out of state, as part of a kickback scheme with the recipient of the services, according to Yost's office. The loss totaled $15,210. Thong Phaphouvaninh, 64, of Orrville, and Bounmy Thammavongsa, 60, of Perrysburg, reportedly confessed to billing for services they claimed to have provided while working for Pinnacle Home Health of Tallmadge, despite being hours away from the recipients at the time. The loss totaled $33,416. Patric Snowden, 49, of Maple Heights, reportedly confessed to billing for services she allegedly provided while she was actually on trips to warm travel destinations in the U.S., as well as the Dominican Republic, France and Jamaica. The loss totaled $2,318. Janay Veal, 37, of Youngstown, is accused of continuing to bill Medicaid for services provided to a recipient even after being removed from the patient's care plan, and on days when the recipient's family member had provided the care. The loss totaled $4,923. Miranda Williams, 30, of Mentor, worked with students as a behavioral health specialist for GuidingPoint of Cleveland, according to the release. She allegedly billed for numerous services though she wasn't actually at her assigned school. Some of her claims also 'overlapped with other claims she submitted at a separate counseling job,' reads the release. The loss totaled $26,915. 6 killed in Howland plane crash identified Erica Gore, 35, of Columbus, allegedly billed for services that had been canceled at the last minute. The recipient's family members showed text messages confirming that Gore had canceled services on 37 days for which she had claimed reimbursement, according to the release. The loss totaled $2,033. Donna Wells, 35, of Cincinnati, allegedly billed for services for recipients who were hospitalized, while Wells was traveling in Georgia and Nevada, according to the release. The loss totaled $3,183. The takedown was part of a nationwide federal crackdown on health care fraud and illegal drug diversion schemes that revealed $14.6 billion in false billings and 15.6 million pills of controlled substances that had been illegally diverted. Authorities seized $245 million in cash, luxury cars and more, according to the release. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
